Log Horizon: Collection 1 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Log Horizon: Collection 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 25, 2014

Even some of the toniest establishments offering Asian cuisine or new “fusion” recipes combining far eastern elements sometimes resort to a decidedly old school gambit in their menus, having something akin to the “one from Column A, one from Column B” approach that older restaurants often employed. One might be forgiven for thinking that some anime creators utilize something like those retro menus to cobble together any given anime, though in the case of Log Horizon, there’s at least a source novel series that of course provided much of the series’ content. Even so, it’s hard not to see a lot of Log Horizon through the prism of other, somewhat older, anime (and, frankly, novel series) like Sword Art Online. (Though it hasn’t had quite the presence on Blu-ray as Sword Art Online, some otaku may even want to compare Log Horizon to the older and perhaps more venerable .hack franchise, including .hack//Quantum OVA.) Is there truly nothing new under the sun, even if that sun exists in a virtual world, that manga, light novel, novel and/or anime creators can come up with?

Log Horizon does in fact share the same basic premise as those aforementioned anime, namely a bunch of hapless gamers actually stuck in a game, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a carbon copy of either of the other similar properties. Some of Log Horizon’s anomalies are at least interesting, while others may be at least a little questionable. Log Horizon has a much less serious mien than Sword Art Online, to the point that the game is actually not really deadly—it’s a game. That may deprive the series of some dramatic subtext, but it offers another ethos that might in fact be compared to Edge of Tomorrow, where characters must learn from their mistakes after they’re resurrected.

The series’ hero is Shiroe, a kid who has signed on to a huge update of a game called Elder Tale only to find himself whisked away into the game. Shiroe is a so-called Strategist in Elder Tale, and he is a sensible, almost reticent, leading character. While he’s obviously confused as to what exactly has happened, he instantly recognizes that he’s inside Elder Tale and that things seem to be real, even if he still has access to tools and other online aspects of his avatar. He immediately searches his contact list and finds that his longtime friend (if only occasional gaming buddy) Naotsugu is nearby. Naotsugu belongs to a Guardian class, and so right off the bat Log Horizon has offered both brains and brawn.

The third major character in Log Horizon is Akatsuki, a so-called Assassin whom Shiroe spies and recognizes as he and Naotsugu start exploring Akihabara, the central locale of the game world. Shiroe tells Naotsugu that Akatsuki has mad skills but is on the quiet side. The reason for that silence turns out to be the fact that while bearing a male avatar, Akatsuki is in fact a girl. Because Shiroe has some quasi-magic spells available in his online tool kit, he’s able to grant Akatsuki’s wish to become a female within the game.

As completely odd as it may sound, in a strange way Log Horizon also ended up reminding me of a peculiar and little remembered film which I recently reviewed, The Bubble 3D. Much as in that film, a coterie of characters find themselves magically transported to a realm where completely odd things are happening, and yet no one seems to be that worried about it. By way of contrast, Sword Art Online spent at least a bit of its forward plot momentum with the stuck players attempting to figure out how to get back out into the real world again, but Log Horizon seems less concerned with that aspect than with the interactions of the various characters within the virtual world of the game. It’s another odd choice, and one that perhaps leads to yet another diminution of actual dramatic suspense, since an “endgame” (so to speak) isn’t front and center on anyone’s radar.

Perhaps because the actual game play turns out to be weirdly tangential to some developments (despite the time taken in any given episode to explain that very game play), the series tends to veer off into little detours where, for example, a character named Nyanta (who utilizes a cat avatar) has cooking skills which he uses to impress his allies. This is relevant in a way, since it's already been detailed how flavorless the game world's food is, but it's also not that germane to anyone "leveling up". It's enjoyable enough on its own merits, but it begs the question as to what it really has to do with moving ahead in the game world.

Instead, it tends to be both the social side of things, both with regard to Elder Tales’ so-called Guilds, aggregations of various players based on skills, and with regard to the intramural relationships between the focal characters, where Log Horizon finds it surest footing. The rather arcane world of Elder Tales is probably too convoluted, causing too many interruptions on an already tenuous narrative flow, and in a way since nothing too horrible can ever happen anyway, the games’ rules end up not counting for much other than a way to explain any given sequence. Log Horizon is much better in its smaller scale approach with regard to Shiroe and his closest allies. The show actually tips toward shōnen territory in that regard, but ironically it may be in that overused subgenre that the ostensible subgenre of Log Horizon finds its greatest resonance.

Log Horizon: Collection 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Log Horizon is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Sentai Filmworks with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Log Horizon has a somewhat bifurcated look at times, with some fantasy elements and depictions looking rich and painterly (see screenshot 1), while others are a bit more on the routine side of things. Colors pop quite well throughout the presentation, with rich greens, reds, purples and blues especially impressive. Line detail remains sharp and strong. Some episodes exploit anomalies of the game worlds, so that, for example, the backgrounds remain somewhat desaturated while the characters retain their color (see screenshot 18). There is some very minor and transitory banding on display, but otherwise this a very appealing high definition presentation.

Log Horizon: Collection 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Log Horizon features lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mixes in both the original Japanese as well as an English dub. The many whooshing sound effects that accompany gameplay probably would have had more life with a surround mix, but these options provide a nice soundstage that includes excellent prioritization. Dialogue is always clearly and cleanly presented and there are no issues to report.

Log Horizon: Collection 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Clean Opening Animation (1080p; 1:32)


• Clean Closing Animation (1080p; 1:33)

Log Horizon: Collection 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Log Horizon is almost inescapably going to be seen as derivative, which ironically only tends to point up the places where this series differs from others of the same general ilk. That becomes problematic when some of Log Horizon's choices tend to rob the series of much dramatic punch. The fact that the series deals with gamers, players who thrive on adrenaline rushes, and then removes any really devastating threats, is one of the odder directions Log Horizon takes. That leaves the bulk of the interest here skewed strangely away from the game and the game world and more toward personal relationships. Log Horizon does okay in that regard, but some curmudgeons might be asking why the whole Elder Tale envelope needed to surround those relationships to begin with. For fans of the series, Log Horizon boasts excellent technical merits.